1. ADDRESSING FOREST GOVERNANCE THROUGH REDD+
WEST AFRICA FOREST GOVERNANCE FORUM
Ghana–India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Ridge, Accra, Ghana
7th and 8th June, 2011
Yaw Kwakye, Climate Change Unit, FC

2. OUTLINE Introduction Governance Defined The REDD+ Trajectory in Ghana
Pillars and Principles of Governance
The REDD+ Mechanism
Governance and REDD
Components of Governance Machinery
Governance in Practice
Progress Summary
Challenges and Prospects
Going Forward
Conclusion

3. INTRODUCTION
Forest governance has remained one of the weakest links in sustainable forest management efforts in most developing countries and Ghana is no exception.
Ghana has in recent times embarked on some forest and natural resource governance initiatives to address some of the challenges in this domain of resource management.
Key among these are the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Initiative of the EU being implemented under the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, the multi-donor sector budget support through the Natural Resources and Environmental Governance Program (NREG) and the Non-Legally Binding Instrument (NLBI).

4. What do we mean by “GOVERNANCE”?
Governance may be defined as;
“the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country's economic and social resources for development”.
World Bank 1992.
There is consensus about key attributes and processes that characterize “good governance”, both in general and in specific sectors, such as the forest sector

5. What do we mean by “GOVERNANCE”?
Good governance is a form of political decision-making that emphasizes legality (rules to resolve conflicts), legitimacy (acceptance and trust by the public that ensure accountability) and participation (inclusiveness in decision-making process)

6. PILLARS AND PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNANCE
Policy, Legal, Institutional and Regulatory Frameworks
Planning and Policy-making Processes
Implementa-tion Enforcement and Compliance
Accountability
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Equity/Fairness
Participation
Transparency
CREDIT: FAO/WB, 2011

7. THE REDD+ MECHANISM
Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) is a global mechanism that seeks to incentivize initiatives/actions in forest-rich developing countries in the tropics that effectively contribute to reductions in GHG (mainly CO2) emissions from deforestation and forest degradation
It includes co-benefits such as biodiversity conservation, sustainable forest management and carbon stocks enhancement.
The REDD+ mechanism will take the form of payments for measures that result in reduced emissions or increased removal of CO2

8. GHANA’S REDD TRAJECTORY
Ghana is one of the pioneer African nations to participate actively in the REDD process and has engaged actively and constructively with her international partners since Bali 2007
A REDD Readiness Preparation Idea Note (R-PIN) submitted by Ghana received approval from the FCPF in July 2008, paving the way for the formulation of a REDD Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP)
The R-PP developed through a concerted effort by both state and non-state actors (CSOs, Private Sector, land owners, community reps, research and academia etc) was submitted in 2009 and received approval in March 2010, making it possible to access US$3.6M for early REDD+ activities over a 4-year period ( )

9. In broad terms, the R-PP entail three steps which are;
(a) Analysis, Preparation and Consultation
(b) Piloting and Testing and
(c) Becoming Ready.
Currently activities are mainly focused on (a) and (b).

10. FOREST GOVERNANCE AND REDD+
Forest governance is among the issues identified as critical to the success of REDD+ during the early stages of stakeholder consultations leading to the formulation of Ghana’s R-PP
Two broad themes proposed for the formulation of a National REDD+ Strategy;
i) forest policy, legislation and governance and
ii) carbon enhancement activities.
The C&P component of the R-PP is designed to drive governance issues of the REDD process in Ghana

11. Components of Governance Machinery
The achievement of good governance is hinged on mutually supportive and cooperative relationships among government, private sector and civil society.
GOVERN-MENT
CIVIL SOCIETY
PRIVATE
SECTOR

12. GOVERNANCE IN PRACTICE – THE REDD+ EXPERIENCE
The afore-mentioned principles of governance are being applied in the implementation of the R-PP, particularly for the REDD+ demonstration phase which is at the very initial stage.
Procedures and terms for participation have been clarified and measures instituted to ensure transparency and fairness
Governance efforts should be enhanced and sustained
This would require the active involvement of all stakeholders

13. PROGRESS SUMMARY
The R-PP workplan has been organized under 6 components i.e.
Organization and Consultation
National Readiness Management Arrangements
Stakeholder Consultation and Participation
Preparation of REDD Strategy
Assessment of Land Use, Forest Policy and Governance
REDD Strategy Options
Arrangements for REDD Implementation
Social and Environmental Impacts
Develop a Reference Scenario
Develop a Monitoring System (MRV)
Schedule and Budget
Design of Program Monitoring and Evaluation

14. PROGRESS SUMMARY

15. PROGRESS SUMMARY (Cont.)

16. CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS
Carbon rights clarification/codification
Domestic wood supply
Governance may be expensive in the short-term but the dividends are immense and lasting in the long-term
There are a suite of forest governance tools readily available that can be, adapted, tested and adopted as standard practice for governance e.g. the FAO/WB Framework For Assessing and Monitoring Forest Governance, 2011
Strong political commitment and high level of enthusiasm among key stakeholders

17. GOING FORWARD: Learning-by-doing Approach
Knowledge
Performance
Evaluation

18. CONCLUSION
Good governance practice engenders trust, acceptance and sense of ownership among different stakeholders, and reduces the risks of conflict or failure of REDD+ projects.
It is a more inclusive, coherent and participatory approach than ‘top-down’ governance, such as legislation.
Multi-level, multi-actor, participatory governance allows stakeholders to negotiate, formulate and implement policy based on shared goals.
Good governance creates the conditions that allow stakeholders with different degrees of political influence and different interests to work together toward achieving the 3Es

19. THANK YOU